In Victoria, a recently renovated DoubleTree by Hilton hotel has integrated video walls with ultra-high-definition (UHD) ‘4K’ content to help better showcase its distinctive features for arriving guests.
“Among the unique assets we have here are amazing views of Victoria’s inner harbour and downtown area,” says Rajiv Dwarika, the hotel’s chief financial officer (CFO). “We were looking at innovative ways to show guests, when they come in the door, what a great place this is and what the view from their rooms will be.”
First, Dwarika and his team decided to set up a video wall behind the reception desk that would display a live camera feed from the roof of the site’s panoramic views. They worked with ENS, a Victoria-based digital signage media player provider, which in turn recommended Calgary-based Userful’s content management system (CMS) software. Three portrait-mode 1.4-m (55-in.) liquid crystal displays (LCDs) run off of a shared Intel Core i5 personal computer (PC) that streams 4K video from the roof-mounted camera in real time.
“We find people standing in the reception area just spotting birds passing by and watching what’s going on outside,” says Dwarika.
After the success of the initial concept, the team recognized further potential with the flexibility of the technology. They started exploring other options, such as switching from the live stream to recorded tourism videos. With the addition of more wall-mounted LCDs, the hotel also began to showcase city attractions on-screen rather than with printed brochures.
“Everything is managed using a web browser with an easy drag-and-drop interface,” says Dwarika. “The CMS can support up to 60 displays from single PC, including a mix of video walls and stand-alone individual displays.”
